


As you lay sleeping (I dreamed I held you in my arms)

by Mango_fruiit



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, The damian and talia fluff we all needed, but like, catch the random Inside Out reference at the end, does it matter tho its FLUFF, is Talia ooc? maybe, its just forced itself in, lowkey sad kind, only referenced to really, slight warning: non descreptive animal death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26001484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mango_fruiit/pseuds/Mango_fruiit
Summary: Damian's earliest and most treasured memory of his mother.
Relationships: Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne
Comments: 7
Kudos: 64





	As you lay sleeping (I dreamed I held you in my arms)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. so this was written because I realized I've never really seen a fic where Talia calls damian "baba" even tho it's a thing arab parents do a lot (idk why) and its v soft and makes u feel all warm and fuzzy and as if they didn't call u a disappointment and failure two minutes ago. Anyways. Um. Enjoy.

Damian doesn’t remember much from his early childhood. He remembers the ruthless training, of course. Learning how to hold a knife. Killing his first human being. Killing his first instructor, because an Al Ghul shouldn’t have a soft spot for anyone. Killing his first animal, because an Al Ghul doesn’t beg for mercy towards a meaningless pet. An Al Ghul doesn’t depend on anyone too deeply or they shall be his downfall. Most importantly, an Al Ghul doesn’t cry out for his mother as he’s introduced to her for the first time, should be _ashamed_ of such a blatant show of weakness. He learned those lessons the hard way (not that there was such a thing as an “easy way” back in the league, mind you).

But there was an odd occurrence that had stuck with him for years and years after it’d happened. Damian, even now, is not completely sure as to whether it was all a fever dream he’d had as a child craving affection from his mother, or not.

He remembers a time when he was four years old, bedridden with illness and excused from his daily training and education as a result. It was just after one of the servants had left, after checking his temperature and replacing the soaked, cold piece of cloth on his forehead. She left the door open just a crack, soft yellow lighting seeping through it to somewhat illuminate the dark room. He was on the verge of falling asleep again, after the servant had left, when he saw the silhouette of a woman standing outside his door. He unintentionally let out a soft gasp as his eyes welled up again, and the woman quickly came up to him, cradling his small face between her hands. The light from the door newly opened ajar illuminated her figure, making her look as though she was a guardian angel sent specifically for him as he suffered through his fever. She stroked his chubby cheeks, and he remembered the feeling of her sharp nails, soft and nonthreatening as they wiped his tears away. He remembers her shushing him, and quietly sitting next to him on the bed, running her fingers through his hair and humming an old Arabic lullaby under her breath. He remembers looking into her tired green eyes, and letting out an embarrassingly childlike noise as he leaned into her touch.

“Hush, baba.” He remembers her saying. “Hush, habibi, mama’s here, you’ll be okay, my heart.”

He spent the rest of that night cuddled against her chest, slowly falling asleep as she rocked them back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

She looked down at him with teary eyes, as he was on the verge of going to sleep, and said “It’s okay, baba, I’m here. I’m right here.”

That was the first time he’d seen his mother so...vulnerable. So open. Holding him as if her baby boy was the only thing left attaching her to the world.

That was the one memory that kept him going whenever grandfather was particularly harsh during training. During...his whole time in the league, really.

He’d only been indulging Grayson on his instance for “family movie nights” back when he was Batman and they’d watched that animated movie together, but if core memories were ever to be a real thing...he’d like to think that one’s his first.


End file.
